meligrove band

Toronto indie group The Meligrove Band are set to return with a new record called Bones of Things, their first album in four years (out on November 18 via We Are Busy Bodies). The ten-track album was recorded with long-time friend and producer Jose Contreras at his Chicano Power Studio in rural Caledon over the course of two years and has lyricists Jason Nunes and Darcy Rego sing about love and friendship over rolling bass lines, jangly guitars and pounding drums.

On June 10th, Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains will release American Names (Outside), digital EP and 7″. The digital EP will be exclusive to iTunes Canada and will also be available for purchase at upcoming shows in the form of a poster with a unique code that will give access to the download.

Pretty cool.

How far off are we from a day when you can hear a song, think the word ‘purchase’, have it debit the chip in your head and download it to your cerebral cortex? Any day now.

Last time I wrote about Sebastien was almost a year ago. Since then, he’s hit the studio for this EP (giving it the ‘wall of sound’ effect) and assembled the touring band to pull it off live. The former drummer and vocalist of Death For Above 1979 has enlisted the help of friends Leon Taheny of Germans, Nick Sewell of the Illuminati and Andrew Scott of The Meligrove Band and The Bicycles. Still getting good opening slots as well. This guys has been sharing stages with (Bloc Party, Albert Hammond Jr., Metric).

Been listening to the EP and there is definitely a stand-out. A new version of Are There Ways To Come Home?, shortened to Ways To Come Home. Its sick, love it.

I’m a little late on getting the word out on this one, but If you’re looking for the best lineup in and around Toronto this weekend, check out the Brampton Indie Arts Festival.

Feb. 14th-17th, Rose Theatre (Brampton). In its eight year the festival has put together the best lineup yet with names like Final Fantasy, Meligrove Band, Ohbijou, Jon Rae & The River, Patrick Watson, The Acorn, Uncut, Diableros, The Postage Stamps. Check the schedule here.

Looks like they also be putting together a compilation cd in the coming year courtesy of Sunday League Records.

There was music going on that Sunday, but I opted for something a little different.

Three words. Fucking Roller Derby.

A couple of us spent most of the afternoon sipping some margharita’s and red bull coolers. The Meligrove Band were there, Eric from V2, Endearing Records and Ryder from White Whale. I checked the local weekly and found an ad for Roller Derby. The Rhinestone Cowgirls were taking on the Holy Rollers (both from that A&E show about Roller Derby) at the Austin Convention Centre later on that night.

When in rome….

Here’s how it works. 10 girls start on the track, 5 from each team. 8 girls start skating together in a pack around the circular track. Then, the remaining 2 skaters start a little behind them. Their objective is to skate past the pack, then lap as many opposing players as possible, in one minute. And without getting killed.

Players get points based on how many people they pass. And there are 4 quarters (with live bands during halftime).

Before the match, a woman walks around with raffle tickets for ‘Spank Alley’. If your number was drawn, you and 9 other people were allowed to sit in Spank Alley, located just off the course on one of the turns. When a player is penalized a punishment wheel is spun for them. When the wheel lands on ‘Spank’, all the people in Spank Alley go up to the course with Fly Swatters and start smacking them on the track. Then the penalized player skates by them bent over and gets her punished.

The ‘Reverse Spank’ is the opposite. And the pillow fight always turns into a brawl. Seriously, I have never seen women kick the crap out of each other like this.